Daniel 7:1-11

Vision of the Four Beasts

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a ¹dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he ²wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.

2 Daniel said *, "I was ³looking in my vision by night, and behold, the ⁴four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

3 "And four great ⁵beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.

4 "The first was ⁶like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until * its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.

5 "And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'

6 "After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, ⁷like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had ⁸four heads, and dominion was given to it.

7 "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a ⁹fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ¹⁰ten horns.

8 "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, ¹¹another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before * it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and ¹²a mouth uttering great boasts.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

9 "I kept looking Until * ¹³thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His ¹⁴vesture was like white snow And the ¹⁵hair of His head like pure wool. His ¹⁶throne was ablaze with flames, Its ¹⁷wheels were a burning fire.

10 "A river of ¹⁸fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; ¹⁹Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The ²⁰court sat, And ²¹the books were opened.

11 "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until * the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the ²²burning fire.

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Daniel 7:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 7

This chapter contains Daniel's vision of the four beasts, The time, place, manner, writing, and declaration of the vision, Da 7:1, the rise of the beasts, and the description of them, Da 7:2-8, the judgment of God upon them, especially the last, and the delivery of universal monarchy to his Son, Da 7:9-14, the interpretation of the vision at the request of Daniel, being greatly affected with it, Da 7:15-18, a particular inquiry of his about the fourth beast, concerning which a full account is given, Da 7:19-27, all which caused in him many thoughts of heart, and reflections of mind, Da 7:28.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 22

1. Job 33:14-16; Daniel 1:17; Daniel 2:1, 26-28; Daniel 4:5-9; Joel 2:28
2. Jeremiah 36:4, 32
3. Daniel 7:7, 13
4. Revelation 7:1
5. Daniel 7:17; Revelation 13:1; Revelation 17:8
6. Jeremiah 4:7
7. Revelation 13:2
8. Daniel 8:22
9. Dan 7:19, 20, 23
10. Revelation 12:3; Revelation 13:1
11. Daniel 8:9
12. Revelation 13:5, 6
13. Revelation 20:4
14. Mark 9:3
15. Revelation 1:14
16. Ezekiel 1:13, 26
17. Ezekiel 10:2, 6
18. Psalms 18:8; Psalms 50:3; Psalms 97:3; Isaiah 30:27, 33
19. Deuteronomy 33:2; 1 Kings 22:19; Revelation 5:11
20. Psalms 96:11-13; Daniel 7:22, 26
21. Daniel 12:1; Revelation 20:11-15
22. Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10

Footnotes 10

[a]. Lit "of his head"
[b]. Or "beginning"
[c]. Lit "words"
[d]. Lit "spoke and said"
[e]. Lit "heart"
[f]. Or "sides"
[g]. Lit "in this horn" were "eyes"
[h]. Lit "flames of fire"
[i]. Lit "great"
[j]. Lit "of the fire"